


Survivor

by 6_impossiblethings



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alliances, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Survivor AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23603695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6_impossiblethings/pseuds/6_impossiblethings
Summary: Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.Neil and his other castaway mates have spent 20 days competing so far the become the sole survivor. Finally joining up with the other competitors, Neil has to rely on his alliance with Andrew now more than ever before. With new players wanting to make deals, will Neil stay loyal to the Monster Alliance? Or will he go on his own to be the sole survivor?
Relationships: Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 69
Kudos: 99





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Survivor is a reality-competition television franchise produced in many countries around the world. The show features a group of contestants deliberately marooned in an isolated location, where they must provide food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. In the first half of the game, the tribes face off in challenges, some for rewards of food, shelter, or luxury items, while others are for immunity, preventing the winning tribe from having to go to the next Tribal Council. At Tribal Council, the tribes discuss the events of the last few days with the host asking questions, and then vote out one of their own players, eliminating them from the game.
> 
> In the second half of the game, the tribes are merged into a single tribe, and challenges are played at an individual level for individual rewards and immunity. At subsequent Tribal Councils, those eliminated start to form the jury, who sit in on all subsequent Tribal Councils but otherwise do not participate. When only two or three castaways remain, those castaways attend the Final Tribal Council, where the jury is given the opportunity to ask them questions. After this, the jury members then vote to decide which of the remaining castaways should be declared the Sole Survivor and be awarded the grand prize. No knowledge of the show is needed for this fic.

Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.

This was the mantra set out for Neil and the other castaways. 

By Neil’s count, they were on day twenty stranded out on the island. This meant one thing was about to happen for them. 

The Merge.

If Neil was being honest with himself, this was the part of the game he had initially looked forward to the most. He thought playing individually would be easier for him, but he found himself saddened that the “Monster alliance” was soon going to target each other.

For this season of Survivor, they selected a Heroes versus Villains theme. Their tribe, Salona, was dubbed the Villains, which consisted of himself, the Minyard twins, Kevin, Nicky, Jean, Janie, Lydia, and Lola.

Their group had been interesting so far as initially Andrew Minyard had wanted Neil out. On their first day, Neil could tell Andrew wanted him gone. He frequently caught Andrew’s sharp glare and even thought he heard Andrew say something about hating him. 

Neil struggled to make any alliances early on. He had kept to himself, but by the time they finally lost their first challenge, everything changed. 

Suddenly, everyone was trying to get him on their side. Neil thought the other players knew his speed and resourcefulness could be useful to them in the early stage in the game. He might also help give them numbers to vote off another person.

Once he caught wind of a plot to eliminate Kevin Day, he decided that was his opportunity. 

Neil quickly realized that Andrew was controlling the “Monsters” and their votes. He approached Andrew with the information about Kevin. Kevin Day had been deemed a huge target since his mother won the second season back when the show began. Everyone assumed Kevin would be a natural winner too. 

Even though he didn’t like Andrew, he could tell their alliance was fiercely loyal. This was what Neil valued the most at this point in the game.

He remembered approaching Andrew with this information. At first, Andrew had just looked at him. Not a word, but an assessing look. After a few moments, Neil began to turn away.

_“What would it take to make you stay?”_

_Neil was so surprised by this he had to turn back around and ask Andrew to repeat it. “What?”_

_Andrew had just laughed quietly and leaned closer to Neil. “Name it and it’s yours. It doesn’t matter what it is so long as you stand your ground here with us”_

He had asked for Andrew’s protection and just like that, the Monsters had a new member. 

If it weren’t for Andrew, Kevin likely would’ve been gone by the Merge. He probably wouldn’t have made it this far without Andrew either.

Even with any drama arising, they had been able to control the vote. Their remaining tribe members included Andrew, Aaron, Neil, Kevin, Jean, and Nicky. 

If Neil remembered correctly, the Heroes, or tribe Sele, still had Dan, Matt, Allison, Renee, Jeremy, and Katelyn. He didn’t know much about the people they had voted off, but he could tell there was tension among them after Seth had been voted off last week.

Neil hoped their alliance would be strong enough to help them outlast members from the Heroes.

He studied each one of his new opponents and tried to begin guessing who was connected. Most of their group was happily chatting with each other. He could tell Allison was annoyed about something, but he wasn’t sure what yet. Katelyn was also standing a little off to the side from the others. 

Neil assessed them all as they talked. He could see why they were all selected for the Heroes tribe. 

By his count, his group could still have the numbers if they could pull one more person over. It couldn’t be that difficult. 

Finally, Wymack came to announce their new camping arrangements. They were now the Rattana tribe as the Merged group. 

Before heading to their new camp, they would have to compete in their first individual challenge. 

As the rules were explained, Neil studied the course intently. He knew he would have a physical advantage as speed was useful for this obstacle course. 

He glanced at Andrew though and remembered his friend’s advice from a few days earlier. 

_Is your learning curve a horizontal line? Don’t show them everything yet._

Andrew had warned him not to perform too well on any tasks yet. On one of their earlier challenges, Neil earned their team immunity with outrunning Allison by a mile. Instead of congratulating him, Andrew told him he made a huge mistake afterwards. 

If that wasn’t enough, Kevin lectured him on different Survivor strategies for hours afterwards.

Since then, he had been cautious of his contributions to the group in the tasks and at camp. He knew he had the support of the other Monsters and would wait before showing off his skills.

He planned to do just well enough not to look weak.

Traditionally, after the merge, the “big threats” were usually voted out first so he had to keep a low profile.

Neil guessed Kevin would likely be targeted because of this shift in play. For Kevin, it didn’t matter if he showed off all of his skills since everyone assumed he was the best player. 

As they began their challenge, Neil took focus and forced himself to stay in a solid 6th place spot. He wasn’t doing terrible, but he didn’t want any spotlight on him.

Kevin didn’t mind the attention and ended up winning individual immunity. This was likely going to be his strategy until the Monsters could control more of the votes again.

They all headed back to camp together for the first time. Neil could already sense the change in the atmosphere around him. The Heroes group seemed hesitant to approach any of the Villain members.

Neil got up to walk to the edge of the beach and heard footsteps behind him. 

He turned to get a look at who it was and was surprised to see a Hero player walk towards him. 

He thought the guy's name was Matt. He was huge compared to Neil and his hair added about two extra inches of height. 

He stopped a short distance away from Neil and introduced himself. “Hey, I’m Matt. You’re Neil, right?” He said it with a huge smile the entire time. 

Neil was hesitant. If he looked too buddy-buddy with Matt, would the Monster alliance end for him? No, Andrew was too loyal and their deal was still on. 

After a moment, Neil stuck out his hand for a handshake and Matt grabbed it and clapped him on the back. 

“So how’s it been over on your side? We all were shocked to see Lola out so early.”

Neil tried to keep his expression neutral. “Yeah she was a strong player, but we couldn’t trust her.”

The three girls had been in an alliance originally. After Janie got eliminated, Lola had tried to come for Neil. She had tried to sabotage him by breaking up the Monster alliance, but she underestimated what making a deal meant to Andrew. 

Neil figured Matt would likely share some information in return so he asked, “What about you? I could tell Allison looked upset earlier.”

If Matt was surprised, he didn’t show it. “Yeah, it’s been like that since Seth got voted off. He was just making it too difficult for us to work with. Always picking fights, you know?”

“Oh, but they were close?”

“At times. She understands why he had to go though.” This was helping explain their group dynamics a lot. As Matt continued talking about their group members, he could tell Katelyn was on the outs. She hadn’t contributed much to their group challenges and didn’t fit in as well as the others. Neil instantly knew Dan, Renee, and Allison were the closest to Matt. They liked Jeremy, but he was willing to work with anyone, which made him dangerous.

Neil was sure Matt already knew who he was close with and guessed that was why he had been approached in the first place. 

“So, have you guys thrown any names around for tonight yet?” Matt seemed hesitant to ask at first. 

“Honestly, no. So far we’ve just been picking off people outside the cousins and Kevin. I guess now that only would’ve left Jean.”

“I could get everyone on board with Jean.” Neil thought it was a strange offer. It was normal for the original groups to stick together with their voting, but here Matt was wanting to side with him.

“Look, I know where you stand in the group. My alliance is willing to help you for now if we can communicate who to vote off until we get down to us nine. Those are huge numbers and would keep us in the game longer. What do you say?”

Neil wasn’t sure how Andrew was going to feel about this, but he accepted Matt’s deal for now. 

He turned back and headed for the Monsters. The five of them got up and walked towards the water well. They had clearly seen him talking to Matt and were going to want details.

Neil quickly explained the dynamic of the Hero group and then said, “So Matt said he wants to make a deal.”

Andrew just motioned for him to explain.

“Until it’s down to us five and those four, we work together at tribal council to vote off the others. I told him that at least for tonight we’re in.”

Everyone seemed to agree with the plan. They should have the numbers anyways for tonight’s vote to tell if Matt was telling the truth.

“So who did you say we were voting off?” Kevin asked. 

“Jean.”

Kevin immediately looked annoyed, “Neil, we’re supposed to stick together with him. Why not target Katelyn when she’d be easy to pick off?”

“Jean was our next target anyways. We have four more people to side with us for now. I guess I could tell them Katelyn if you all agree. Just saying, Jean is more of a threat.”

Interestingly, it was Aaron who spoke up, “I think we should stick with Jean. It would be smart to eliminate him while we still can.”

This was perhaps the first time in their entire game that Aaron had agreed with Neil on anything. Between the Monsters, they had the weakest relationship. Because of that, Neil initially assumed he would be the next target when everyone else was gone. Over the last week, Neil realized how estranged the twins really were though. 

The boys all headed back to camp. They continued to sit around all day as other players got up to talk with one another. 

Neil observed Jean and Jeremy talking. Neil caught Aaron watching Katelyn. Allison went off on her own.

And soon, it was time for the tribal council. They all headed off ready to vote.

Wymack greeted them all and began asking them all questions. 

Neil caught the sense that the group was still voting out Jean. However, he did notice Jeremy’s interest in Jean. He talked about the excitement of the merge and looked only in Jean’s direction as he said that.

Immediately, Neil knew he could be a target later. He filed that away as he paid attention to what else was happening around him.

Once again, he could tell Aaron was watching Katelyn. Neil wondered if he was the only one who had noticed.

Eventually, it was time to vote. It was an easy decision for Neil to just write “Jean” across the voting sheet.

He thought this was the right vote, but he hoped anyways that no blindside was involved. 

Slowly, the names were read out. It had been 10 votes Jean and 2 votes Andrew.

Neil had expected 9 votes Jean, so this meant someone else had been in the loop to the plan. He knew it wasn’t Jeremy, which left Katelyn. 

Had Aaron told her the plan? Was he that stupid? He had to know she was likely one of the next voted out.

Jean picked up his torch and walked over to Wymack. He said, “The tribe has spoken. Jean, your time is up.” The fire from Jean’s torch was extinguished and everyone else headed back to camp.

Ready to fight for another day.


	2. Chapter 2

Going back to camp without Jean felt no different to Neil. They hadn’t built much of an alliance over the 19 days spent together. 

Jeremy was the only one who really seemed out of place. He had just commented on how useful and intelligent Jean could’ve been before moving on.

Neil sat back with the Monsters and watched Jeremy try to make his way back into the group. He had to feel isolated now as the only person not to vote the majority.

Jeremy started by talking with Matt and Dan. Neil was glad that Matt had been true to his word so far, but he wondered how long it could go on for. Jeremy was loved by everyone in their camp. Maybe Matt would decide their original tribe was more important than his new alliance with Neil.

With the Heroes, he tried to maintain friendships with every player. Others doing so would be seen as shady or playing both sides, but Jeremy was just genuinely that nice. 

Voting Jeremy out next would be beneficial for all of them. The others had a closer bond from being more exclusive and he had a strong social game.

Neil wanted to wait to say anything, but if nothing changed, it would likely be Jeremy out next.

He continued to plot the risks and benefits associated with all of the different votes, but he eventually dozed off. 

They woke up early the next morning to the sounds of Allison screaming at Dan. 

Even though they were far away, Neil still caught the occasional phrases including:  “It’s your fault!” and “You’re the reason he’s gone!” 

So things weren’t as smooth as Matt made it seem. If Neil had to guess, Allison was still upset over Seth being voted out. She either blamed Dan specifically or their entire other group.

This could be a time to make a move against the Hero alliance even if it meant breaking the deal with Matt so early on. Even without Jean, they still had the numbers to control the vote.

Wymack called them out for their next challenge. The reward was a pizza party of the winning group. 

They split up into two teams. Neil had Kevin, Andrew, Renee, and Katelyn on his team. They had to climb over several obstacles before completing a puzzle at the end. 

Soon enough, the groups took off. Neil easily maneuvered his way through the obstacles and helped Katelyn over the last ladder. The puzzle was going smoothly too. Neil glanced over and stopped when he saw what was happening. 

The other group had been neck and neck with them, but it looked like Dan and Allison were fighting again. Renee noticed Neil watching and stopped too, letting Kevin and Andrew continue solving their team’s puzzle. It was quieter than on the beach, but Neil knew Allison’s emotions were now sabotaging Dan’s game.

With the other team’s disagreement, Neil’s team easily won and they had pizza waiting for them back at camp.

They only had a few hours in between the reward challenge and the immunity challenge, so Neil didn’t eat too much. Instead, he took the opportunity to walk to the water well with Andrew.

“You know who should be the next out?” Neil wanted to know if he and Andrew were on the same page. It amazed him how they always were even if they didn’t verbally communicate much.

Andrew responded back with a simple, “yes”.

Neil thought this was the moment to test his new theory. “I have a suggestion for the vote though. I think your brother’s allegiance is slipping.”

Neil could tell had had Andrew's full attention now. Maybe he had seen it and was in denial, but Neil knew Aaron showed obvious interest to Katelyn. First with constantly watching her and then again with protecting her from being a target.

“What do you suggest?”

“We vote Allison, but tell him we're voting Jeremy. If Katelyn votes Jeremy, then we know they’re working together. If not, he knows we’re suspicious of him. Either way, we get out a threat while we still have the numbers.”

“What about our deal with Matt?” Neil knew this was another drawback to the plan. Andrew was a loyal player and didn’t want to break any deals.

“I’m going to read the situation. Maybe he’d be willing to cut Allison off if she is hurting their game.” Neil wasn’t sure how Matt would act, but it was clear to Neil that they would benefit from this move.

“Okay fine.”

They walked back in comfortable silence. 

Hours later, they were picked up for the next challenge. This one involved swimming out to different points to get keys to unlock a puzzle. 

Neil was an average swimmer, but he wasn’t too concerned about having to win anything yet.

As predicted, he finished in the middle of the pack and Matt ended up winning.

No one waited long before trying to talk strategy for the night’s vote.

Neil tried to make eye contact with Matt before walking towards the edge of the water. Sure enough, Matt followed him.

“Congrats on the win” Neil wanted to start as friendly as he could.

“Thanks bud. If we have some sort of race on land though I know you’re going to destroy me.”

Neil was uncomfortable with Matt’s acknowledgement of his athletic skills. Judging Matt though, Neil would assume this was a harmless compliment.

He just wanted to redirect the conversation to “I noticed things getting a little tense with your group today.”

Matt immediately looked embarrassed. “Yeah, Seth getting voted out wasn’t an easy decision. Ultimately, Allison cared more than I thought she would.”

“That’s part of the game. If a bone isn’t healing straight, you have no choice but to break it.” He was hoping Matt would understand what he meant. That they were really talking about Allison and not Seth at this point.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine.” With a wink, Matt headed up to the beach. If he understood Neil’s suggestion for tonight, he showed no other signs. 

Neil headed back to his spot besides Andrew. They told the group the plan was to vote for Jeremy, but as soon as Aaron got up to get ready to leave, Neil told Kevin the real plan in quiet French. Andrew was responsible for telling Nicky.

Kevin seemed annoyed to not have been included in the original discussion, but he agreed to go along with it after a lecture on why keeping alliances was important.

They began their hike to the council area. Jean sat in the back as their first jury member. Neil didn’t miss Jeremy being the only one to greet him. 

Overall, tribal council was pretty dull overall until Wymack directed a question to Matt. 

“So Matt, now that you’ve had time together, how does your game strategy shift?”

“Well Wymack, everything in this game is constantly shifting and evolving. If something feels like it's going south, a player needs to decide if they should take advantage of a new situation or stay loyal. I think every individual needs to trust their gut for when that time comes.”

To anyone else, the answer sounded vague. To Neil, he recognized it for what it was. His decision that Allison would weigh the rest of his core group down. A willingness to work with Neil at the sacrifice of Allison.

He glanced at Andrew and did a half nod. He knew Andrew would understand what had just happened without any more signals.

They went to vote. It came out to 7 votes Allison, 4 votes Jeremy. She looked hurt by the decision and avoided looking at any of them as she stood.

Renee immediately went to hug a crying Allison. It had been a huge blindside to vote Allison out especially with Matt making the deal with Neil.

Maybe Neil had underestimated Renee’s attachment to Allison. Judging by the vote, Neil knew Allison, Renee, Aaron, and Katelyn had voted for Jeremy. So Renee had stayed loyal to her friend. 

This also confirmed Aaron was telling Katelyn of their plans. 

Neil knew this was likely to piss both twins off moving forward. There was a possibility Andrew wanted Aaron or Katelyn out next as a result. 

It didn’t take long for Aaron to snap. As soon as they got back, he threw his stuff down and went after Andrew.

“Why didn’t you tell me the vote changed? So much for being loyal Andrew.”

“You’re one to talk. You proved tonight your loyalty is to Katelyn.”

“You’re being hypocritical, brother”

Neil watched their intense exchange. He wasn’t sure how Andrew could be hypocritical about this. It wasn’t as if Andrew had a girl he was interested in and almost broke his alliance for.

They were both silent for a moment and standing only a few inches apart. He could almost feel their rage and was ready for one of them to explode.

Instead, Aaron turned away and went off to find Katelyn.

Andrew quickly calmed down and they began to scrounge up some food. 

After the vote, there was a noticeable shift in the group. Aaron seemed more distant. Every time he made eye contact with Neil it was more of a glare. Maybe he guessed it had been Neil’s plan to test Aaron’s loyalty.

Additionally, Dan and Matt became more friendly with Neil as Renee withdrew from the group. Maybe this new movement had split them more than they thought.

All Neil knew was that Aaron had better watch himself as they moved into the next round of challenges. 


	3. Chapter 3

The tension from last night carried over into the morning. 

Aaron went off with Katelyn to search for food. Renee went off on her own, which Neil would find suspicious if it were anyone else. Jeremy tried making conversation with everyone.

He finally had success with Nicky, who was tired of being ignored by Neil and Andrew. 

Kevin, Andrew, and Neil were content to sit quietly and rest. 

A few more hours went by and they received a message saying their next challenge was soon.

Neil was curious what Andrew would want to do moving forwards. If it were up to Neil, he would vote off Aaron. They had never gotten along and now Aaron seemed untrustworthy. Plus, they would still have the numbers with Matt, Dan, and Renee. 

He tried not to dwell on it as the challenges often changed it all.

Finally, it was time for the reward challenge. Wymack explained the rules. This time, the competitors had to race through the jungle to find small sandbags. Once they collected the bags, they had to throw them to hit the bottles off of a rack. The first one finished would earn a steak dinner.

Neil knew he had a decent chance to collect his bags first. He wasn’t great at throwing, so he decided there was no harm in out-racing everyone. Most of the others knew he was a good runner at this point so there was no point in hiding that.

As predicted, he reached his bags first. Andrew, Kevin, and Dan were just behind him. Neil carefully aimed each of his throws, but he barely knocked any of the bottles off. 

Suddenly, he heard a huge scream from Dan and Neil looked over. He watched as the last bottle fell into the sand. 

Matt lifted her into the air and then hugged her as they cheered together.

Wymack walked over to them and said, “So there’s a twist to this. Dan, since you won, you also get to pick three people to come with you.”

“Oh easy. Matt, Renee, and Neil.”

Neil was confused immediately. And slightly worried.

He glanced at Andrew and noticed his eyes were already on Neil. He thought he saw a flash of something, but it was too quick to read it.

He hoped Andrew didn’t think he was breaking their deal. He liked Dan, but he didn’t want to sacrifice what he had with Andrew over a dinner. 

He was the first person Neil had ever really trusted. He hoped it wasn’t misplaced and that Andrew would understand what was really happening.

Maybe they could use this to their advantage in the end.

The four of them got carted off to a different area of the island that had steak, fresh fruit, vegetables, and juice waiting for them.

Matt let out a whoop of excitement when they finally sat down. Whenever they got a chance to eat a real meal out here, everyone always gorged on the food. They all stuffed themselves before reclining lazily on the couches nearby.

They talked for a while about their jobs, friends, families, and lifestyles.

It didn’t take long before the talk drifted from their home lives back to the game. 

Matt was the first to bring it up. “So, how’s everything going with the Monsters?”

Neil wasn’t sure if they knew something or if Matt was being polite. Judging Matt, it could easily be either.

“It’s never easy when family plays together, but we’re all doing okay.”

Dan nodded. “We wanted to thank you for sticking with us. We know you easily could’ve sent any of us home by now.”

Neil nodded in response. He noticed Renee hadn’t said anything yet. Neil wasn’t sure why, but Renee still made him uncomfortable. She seemed innocent, but Neil had a feeling she would be a tough competitor.

Matt continued with, “Yeah man. I wish you’d been with us the whole time. It feels like we should’ve been friends for ages by now.”

Neil wasn’t sure how he’d lucked into having the allegiance of two groups. He did really like Matt and Dan, but it wasn’t quite the same as how he felt with Andrew. With Andrew, it seemed more serious and committed somehow even though they’ve only known each other for 21 days. 

Even though it wasn’t his normal style, Neil wanted to throw them a hint while they could still talk. “You know, I think the twins have a little too much tension right now.”

Matt raised an eyebrow at this, “Oh yeah?”

“They’re definitely quieter about it but yeah.” Matt and Dan exchanged a look. They seemed to understand what Neil meant. 

Neil thought it was odd Renee hadn’t said a word to anyone yet. Normally, she seemed like the peacekeeper of the group. Maybe she hadn’t agreed with the decision from the last tribal vote.

Soon, they headed back to everyone else. Upon arrival, Neil knew something was off.

Jeremy and Nicky were with Aaron. Kevin and Andrew were together but not speaking. Katelyn looked a little like she was crying as she sat by herself.

Neil walked right over to Kevin and Andrew. It didn’t take long for Kevin to fill Neil in. 

“Since you only listen to Neil, please listen as he agrees with me. Neil, don’t you think Aaron and Andrew need to make up? Don’t they need to get along so we can stay strong.”

Obviously Kevin was missing the twin’s backstory, but someone trying to win Survivor should’ve picked up on the fact that Aaron and Andrew already had problems. Neil thought it was a miracle they had made it this far with only minimal fighting.

“Kev, we can’t force them to get along. We need to adjust our game if Aaron wants to work with someone else.”

“But make new alliances this late in the game? We have a solid group right now.”

Neil knew Kevin would criticize any decision he made. There was no real point to convince him but, “Isn’t that the point of the game? Making anything that happens to your advantage? Isn’t that what your own mother says is the best part of this game?”

That made Kevin go quiet very quickly. Andrew gave him an appraising look. Neil let himself smile back at this before Andrew averted his gaze. 

They went to sleep that night with Andrew and Kevin on either side and Nicky nearby. Aaron was over by Katelyn as if to confirm his new loyalty. 

When they woke up that morning for the immunity challenge, Aaron and Andrew still weren’t even talking. They wouldn’t even look at each other.

Andrew had told him weeks ago that the twins had a deal where they were supposed to stick together until their college graduation. They had renewed the same deal specifically when they were both selected for Survivor. If Neil had to guess, Andrew was feeling a deep betrayal while Aaron just wanted to play the game by expanding.

He could see both arguments, but Neil personally knew having Andrew on your side was the best move for this game. Neil had never met anyone so loyal. He put himself on the line to save any member of the Monster alliance. He had even picked fights on the behalf of his cousin and twin, which hurt his own social game.

The next challenge was one more of a strength one. The players had to hold themselves up on a pole as long as they could. Neil secretly thought Andrew could win immunity with this one.

He was surprised instead to see Andrew drop down very early. Neil knew Andrew wasn’t trying to hide his strength, so there was no reason he should already be out.

He would have to ask later.

Eventually, the players dropped one by one. It came down to Renee and Jeremy. They had a quick stare down, which didn’t last long until Jeremy broke into a smile. Shortly after that, he slipped down the pole and Renee won.

He couldn’t help but think that Allison getting voted out was Renee’s motivation to win immunity now.

As soon as they got back to camp, many of the others were off trying to discuss. Aaron came over to them and tried to join in. For once it wasn’t Andrew or Neil to start the fight. At his approach, Kevin stepped towards Aaron. “Really, going to ignore us all day and then want to be included in our vote?” 

Aaron looked taken aback by the comment. “I’ve been with you guys the whole time.”

Kevin continued speaking for the rest of them. “Not for the last two votes. We know you’ve been telling her everything.”

Aaron looked exasperated. He finally huffed out a laugh. “This is actually hilarious. That’s exactly what’s been happening with him for the entire game!” He pointed to Neil as he said all of this.

Neil tried to hide his confusion knowing this fight would later influence the game. “Aaron, we worked as a team this entire game. That’s why I’m a part of it.” 

“You’re an idiot if you think that’s it.” With that he walked away.

Neil looked to Andrew, “It’s your call for tonight.”

Andrew nodded. Neil had a feeling tonight would lead to one less Minyard in the game and he planned to have Andrew until the end.


	4. Chapter 4

Aaron being voted off was a surprise to no one. He seemed to realize it was coming. At tribal, Wymack even tried to allow Aaron some last words about why he should stay. He refused and remained silent instead. 

Even the split votes were not enough to keep Aaron around when his alliance voted him out. Interestingly, Renee didn’t vote for Aaron. This was another sign to Neil that she was distancing herself from the group.

If anything, that just proved she could be next.

Their next reward challenge was up. The winner would earn an ice cream sundae. Neil didn’t really care for ice cream, but he wanted to win anyways. Watching Andrew closely, Neil could tell he wanted the win to. 

The challenge was climbing up ladders and over a balance beam before finishing a puzzle at the end. 

Neil surprised himself by winning. The puzzle had been more math related than the others and it just clicked for him.

Wymack announced him as the winner. He was supposed to put his order in so that they could deliver his ice cream to their campsite.

Neil looked at Andrew as Wymack was talking to him. He saw the slight disappointment cross Andrew’s face. He knew how exhausted Andrew was both physically and emotionally. Even though he wanted Aaron gone, it had taken a toll on him.

“I’m actually giving my reward to Andrew.”

He watched the hazel eyes meet his blue ones instantly.

Immediately Nicky asked, “Can he even do that?” 

Wymack looked between Andrew and Neil probably to question his decision, but finally answered, “It’s often unheard of but no reason Neil cannot pass on it.”

Neil thought Andrew looked displeased by the offer but it didn’t stop him from ordering an enormous sundae with 3 different flavors and 7 different toppings on it. 

Just looking at the thing made Neil sure he had made the right decision. He wouldn’t have enjoyed it one bit, but Andrew was inhaling the thing.

Neil smiled as he watched Andrew eat it. 

Their group seemed closer now too. Aaron leaving made it clear that Nicky had been spending time as the peacemaker between the brothers. Nicky seemed relieved to just be able to enjoy everything.

He began talking about his boyfriend Erik more, which Neil was certain Aaron wouldn’t have tolerated. He dragged Jeremy over to sit with them too. Maybe Aaron had been the one preventing them from making new allies. 

The two were so friendly they had bonded quickly. They gossiped about different contestants and Neil didn’t miss the fond way Jeremy spoke about Jean. Everyone seemed close now except for Katelyn. 

They could almost relax going into the challenge. As long as Katelyn didn’t win, the group was almost certain to vote her out. 

She was on her own now. No one remaining seemed to trust her since she lost her alliance early on after trying to play both sides. Now, her only other close competitor was gone. 

The next challenge ended with Kevin winning immunity again. Neil thought he was just painting a larger target on his back every day, but Kevin claimed this was how a perfect game of survivor was played.

The tribal council the night had been as unsurprising as before. Katelyn was voted off almost unanimously. The only thing that had interested Neil was that it was 5 votes Katelyn, 2 votes Neil, and 1 vote Nicky.

Neil wasn’t surprised that his name was down at this point. Whoever it was likely didn’t agree with him giving up the reward. The vote against Nicky though was confusing.

Nicky wasn’t likely to win in the end, but maybe someone was coming to weaken the Monster alliance even further.

Neil tried to guess everyone’s motives and assess where he stood at this point.

Assuming no one had flipped on him, he still had alliances with Andrew, Kevin, Nicky, Matt, and Dan. Renee potentially, but she had distanced herself from even her friends. He had barely spent any time with Jeremy. 

If he was being realistic, he should only count on Kevin and Andrew. 

Nicky was still a part of their group, but he was so friendly he could get pulled into another group. The alliance with Matt and Dan was temporary, but their bonds felt so genuine.

The toughest part of this game was constantly evaluating the situation. If it weren’t for Andrew, he would’ve felt so alone this entire time and likely would’ve been out by now.

He just hoped Andrew wasn’t the next one out.

When they got back to the beach, Dan tried to ask Kevin some questions about strategy. He looked torn for a minute between following Andrew or talking with Dan. After taking two steps towards her, he turned around looking confused.

“Neil, are you coming?”

“No, I’m not.” Neil wanted to do nothing else but sit with Andrew. He felt exhausted and was tired of listening to Kevin’s advice. He had heard it a million times before.

Kevin took a step back towards Neil. “But you promised me your game.” When Neil originally joined the Monsters that was part of the deal. He wanted Andrew’s protection but also promised to work closely with Kevin. He had gladly taken Kevin up on his offer at the time, but after over two weeks of mentoring, Neil was drained.

“I’ve heard it all before Kev. We can talk later.” 

He walked away before Kevin had the chance to say anything else. At least Kevin had the sense not to add to their drama.

Andrew wouldn’t look with him as they sat down together. Neil knew voting Aaron off had been difficult on Andrew despite the twins not being close. He needed to pull Andrew’s thoughts away from dwelling on the vote and instead towards something else.

“Truth for a truth?” 

Finally, Andrew’s eyes met him and paused before agreeing. They had played this game back when Neil had first joined the group. It initially was a way for Neil to earn Andrew’s trust, but now it had turned into something else. 

Neil enjoyed learning the different sides of Andrew. He was different with Neil somehow than he was with anyone else. Or maybe Neil could just look past Andrew’s exterior to see him for who he really is.

Andrew motioned for Neil to go first.

“Why did you give up in the last immunity challenge?”

“Who said I gave up?”

“I’ve seen you lift before I know you could’ve hung on longer than that.”

Andrew raised an eye at him as if to say staring much? 

Neil patiently waited for Andrew to respond. He was content to sit there and just watch Andrew try to decide how to answer.

Slowly, Andrew admitted, “I have a fear of heights.”

Surprise washed through Neil. Back at their original camp site, Neil caught Andrew numerous times sitting in a tree. He assumed it was Andrew’s way to spy on the others, but now he wasn’t sure. Surely there were easier ways to do that.

“What were you doing in the tree then?”

Andrew shook his head. “Not uh, it’s my turn now.” Neil had to wait a moment before Andrew asked, “Who are your scars from?”

“My father” Even though Andrew knew about them, he had refrained from asking until now. This signaled to Neil that he was getting under Andrew’s skin with his seemingly innocent question.

He saw Andrew’s expression darkened at the answer. “What happened to him.”

Neil didn’t miss the way tension seemed to leave Andrew when he told him his father was dead.

It was quiet and comfortable between them. They just watched the waves come up on the shore. Nicky and Kevin didn’t rejoin them for the rest of the night.

Finally, when they were about to fall asleep, Andrew said, “I was trying to feel.”


	5. Chapter 5

Since Aaron and Katelyn had been voted out, the tribe seemed to be more cohesive. Everyone was working together for food and to expand on their shelter. So far, it had either down poured on them or been extremely hot temperatures. This made everyone want to improve their campsite. 

The sweltering heat made Neil wish again that he could just take his shirt off in front of the others. 

Even though they were more than halfway through the game, Andrew was the only one to see his scars. 

That had been right when their alliance was formed. He had made the stupid mistake of trying to clean up in the water by himself early in the morning. He must’ve woken Andrew and been followed.

Either way, now it didn’t bother him since he trusted Andrew more than anyone here.

He still wanted to hide it from the others. He knew Andrew was hiding his scars from the others too since his armbands were a signature look for him at this point.

When Wymack asked him about it during their first week there, he had commented it was an easy way to tell him and Aaron apart.

Neil however had learned the truth.

It made him respect and trust Andrew, but maybe the others wouldn’t understand. Both of them had been through so much. They didn’t want to use their histories for sympathy votes. This was just a way to prove to themselves that they could get through anything. That this was nothing compared to the horrors of their childhoods. 

If anyone came after Andrew before the final three, Neil knew he would be taking revenge. 

When the time came, Neil knew he would only put himself on the line for himself or Andrew despite how close he felt with the others.

He kept this in mind as they headed towards their next immunity challenge. The challenge involved diving off a platform to retrieve a key. Then they would race up a series of ladders to collect another key. Then they would swim back to the platform and complete a puzzle. It required endurance and speed from each competitor.

Somehow, Neil outraced everyone. He flew through each obstacle and the puzzle came together seamlessly. He had immunity.

He felt on top of the world at that moment. He proved his skill finally to everyone in the group. Maybe that would be peaking too early, but he was proud of himself.

The feeling didn’t last long though as Kevin was quick to berate him. The second they made it back to camp Kevin came at him.

“How could you be so stupid? You know you’re supposed to save your strength for later. I needed this win tonight since you’ve been blowing our alliances.”

“Blowing our alliance? You were with us in every step of the plan! You even approved it.” 

“Only because you did it without asking! You never think anything through.”

Neil knew this fight would blow up just like the others. If Kevin wasn’t already a huge target, he was certainly painting one on his back now. He was only risking himself since Neil had immunity for tonight’s vote.

In a low voice Neil said, “Kev, now's not the time. You know what happens to people who blow up before the vote.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. Probably annoyed Neil would even try to offer advice to a game he claimed to know better than anyone else.

“If I’m wrong, the so-called alliance we have will protect me later.”

“It would’ve if you hadn’t just screamed at me in front of everyone.” In Survivor it only takes one misstep and Neil thought Kevin had just made a million dollar mistake.

Kevin had come into the game as a huge favor to win. With his mother as one of the originals, he was expected to dominate. On top of that, he had a rival with one of the most well known players, the self-proclaimed King of Survivor, Riko Moriyama. 

Neil secretly thought Kevin was most likely to be remembered for the line, “You’re only the king until the queen arrives. I’m here” prior to coming on the show instead of for actually winning. At this point, he would be surprised if Kevin made it much farther. Or if he would be popular enough to win votes in the end.

Of course, Neil knew something else could happen between now and the vote. The rest of them still had time to pick who to vote out and get others on their side.

After Kevin calmed down, he rejoined the group. Nicky kicked off the conversation and got right to the point. “So, who’s on the chopping block tonight?”

Neil locked eyes with Kevin and it seemed both were daring the other to talk first after the argument earlier. Neil was content to let Kevin go first, but he wasn’t backing down from their fight earlier.

Andrew was the first to throw out a name. “Easy vote would be to vote out Jeremy. Or we could turn on Matt and Dan.”

Neil was surprised since this was the first sign of interest Andrew had shown in the game since allowing Neil into the group. He rarely strategized and only offered advice that helped Neil.

It was silent for a minute as if Kevin was still trying to outlast Neil in their silent contest.

Nicky tried to counter, “Jeremy is too nice. He would win at the end for sure. Maybe he should be next.”

Finally, Kevin gave in. “True, but Matt might be more of a threat. He’s better at the challenges.”

“We could split votes in case one as an immunity idol. We could split it Renee and Jeremy.” Neil felt it was worth mentioning that one of their competitors could’ve found the hidden idol that would keep them safe from any votes against them. If Matt or Jeremy had one, the vote could easily go against the Monsters. Neil thought Renee could be dangerous if she flipped on their alliance if she hadn’t already.

Surprisingly again, it was Andrew who spoke up, “Not Renee. Not yet.” 

Neil nodded since he wanted to avoid arguing, but he still wanted to sway attention away from Matt for now. He thought Matt and Dan could easily be swayed to their side to vote out Jeremy.

“I don’t think we have enough votes for that since someone wanted to take out a member of our own alliance.” So Kevin still wanted to be passive aggressive about it. Fine.

Neil was just over it.

“So who do you want then?” 

“Matt. I think we can beat Jeremy in challenges easier.”

Neil didn’t want to argue anymore. He thought Jeremy would be the better choice since he seemed to have become friends with everyone, which ultimately mattered more than the challenges.

Either way that was their group's decision.

Eventually, Neil had a moment to speak with Matt.

“Nice job today buddy. I thought I was going to catch up for a minute.” Matt, of course, was polite as ever. Neil felt guilty immediately over Kevin’s decision, but Survivor wasn’t a game where that helped you.

“Thanks,” was all Neil managed to offer up.

“It’s my name isn’t it?”

Neil finally met Matt’s eyes. His willingness to lie died on his tongue. Matt had been nothing but genuine and kind to him. Maybe there was something last minute they could do to sway it to Jeremy.

“It’s been mentioned.”

Matt nodded in acceptance. “I get it. Thanks for being honest.”

Neil’s instincts were telling him not to listen to Kevin on this one. He didn’t want to play Kevin’s game anymore and hadn’t for a while. 

They were just totally different. Kevin had to be in control of everything. He was always trying to make everything strategic and perfect. Meanwhile, Neil wanted to just trust his instincts. He felt he could spot another player’s weakness and work his way into any openings. He loved the game for its twists and turns while Kevin had to have it organized and structured.

Matt was already a few feet away from Neil, but he called Matt’s name out anyways.

He caught up to him and they continued walking down the beach. “Maybe there’s something we can still do.”

“You’re going to go against your own alliance?”

“I don’t think you’re the right vote for tonight. We also talked about Jeremy. What’s Dan thinking?”

“We threw around a few names. Kevin, Nicky, and Jeremy all included.”

Neil worked out a strategy for tonight with Matt. If everything went as planned, Matt would not be going home later. 

It stressed Neil out that he wasn’t voting with his group, but if this worked, he thought everyone would benefit in the end. He just hoped he didn’t lose everyone's trust in the end.

They all sat around the fire to begin tribal council.

As soon as they settled, Wymack started asking them questions. The first was aimed at Kevin.

“So, Kevin, do you feel like the further you get into the game the more you have to adapt?”

“I think the true survivor should never have to change their game play. If they have the perfect strategy they should win regardless of others.”

Neil thought Kevin was just proving himself to be an idiot. If Kevin was correct, every winner would be basically the exact same. That wasn’t true however. 

Some won for their social skills. They could take either controlling or subtle roles in the group votes. Some focused on just winning challenges or finding an immunity idol. Some tried to be friends with everyone and some alienated their alliances. 

The goal was to outwit, outplay, and outlast everyone else, but there were many ways to accomplish that.

“Neil, you look a little puzzled. Would you disagree with Kevin?”

“Well, the point of Survivor is to turn every situation to your advantage. So, don’t you have to change with the flow of the game?”

“An interesting point you make there. Jeremy, what do you think?”

“I think as long as a player focuses on doing what’s right and making strong friendships they always have a good chance regardless.”

With that, it was time to vote.

Wymack started counting them in front of everyone.

“One vote Matt.” Neil recognized Kevin’s handwriting.

“Two votes Matt.” There was Nicky’s vote.

“One vote Kevin.” There was Dan’s.

“Two votes Kevin.” There was Matt’s.

“Three votes Matt.” There was Andrew’s vote. 

“Three votes Kevin.” Renee’s vote was out.

“Four votes Kevin.” Jeremy’s vote was read. 

Now it was only Neil’s left. He felt instant anxiety over how Andrew was about to react.

“The next player voted out of the game is Kevin. The tribe has spoken.”

If the others could tell who voted, everyone knew Neil just majorly backstabbed his alliance. He and Kevin had been together since the start.

Kevin looked shocked and paused a moment before exiting. Neil felt Andrew’s gaze on him, but he couldn’t look him in the eyes yet. They would speak later.

He just prayed Andrew would forgive him. His opinion was the only one Neil really cared about. 

The walk back to their campsite was quieter than normal. 

Matt and Dan looked shocked they had managed to vote off Kevin. Even Neil doubted they would manage it. He wondered if Kevin had any idea that he was the target for tonight.

He caught Andrew looking at him and Neil started to walk off knowing he would be followed. He wouldn’t apologize, but he hoped Andrew would understand. He still wanted Andrew by his side more than anything. 

His only regret in the game so far was not telling Andrew of his plan first.

As soon as they got just out of sight of everyone Neil stopped.

“Explain.” Andrew demanded in a tense voice.

“Kevin wasn’t being smart.”

Neil knew it would take more than this to bring Andrew back to his side. He didn’t realize how much he had been relying on Andrew’s support until he was in danger of losing it. 

“Is he ever?” Neil wanted to laugh, but he knew this was a serious moment between them.

“Look, I just can’t be like Kevin. I couldn’t play for him anymore either. He just saw us as votes in the end. I understand if you hate me or want nothing to do with me, but I still want to play this game with you.”

“How can I trust you after that?”

“I’ve stayed with you every step of the way.”

Andrew crossed his arms and his face gave away no emotion.

“You’ve voted out two members of our group. I’d hardly say so.”

“Why did you let me then?” Neil knew everything would have changed had Andrew said something, but he never challenged Neil’s decisions. 

“Don’t ask stupid questions that you know the answers to.” Andrew turned away from Neil, but he didn’t walk away yet.

Neil was confused for a moment but he continued on, “I know you don’t break your promises. I’m not breaking mine either. I’ve still got your back. It can be me, you, and Nicky in the end.”

“Why don’t you just run back to Matt and Dan?”

“If that’s what you want. If they didn’t target Kevin they were going to come for you. I picked you over him okay?”

At this, Andrew turned back to meet Neil’s gaze. Neil watched as Andrew seemed to make a decision. 

Without giving away any emotion, “Don’t make the mistake of thinking I need you to save me. That is not how this works.”

“It’s not that. I just don’t want to make it to the end with anyone else.”

Andrew took a step closer. 

Neil felt the tension between them. He would respect whatever Andrew’s decision it was, but he hoped they’d stick together.

“Yes or no?”

Without even a second thought, Neil said, “Yes.”

He would say yes to whatever Andrew asked at this point. Anything to keep him around.

Andrew moved even closer and pulled Neil’s face closer. Their lips brushed and Neil felt something ignite inside him. He felt something rush through him and it was addicting. He didn’t know how long it lasted and eventually when Andrew pulled away, he felt empty.

Together, they headed back for camp. 


	6. Chapter 6

Life around camp seemed to change dramatically after that. 

Jeremy seemed to have taken Kevin’s place in their group due to his new close friendship with Nicky. Everything had suddenly become more fun. Jeremy’s energy was so light and fun. No one criticized each other or talked strategy. 

They were playing games on the beach and laughing with one another. Neil found himself enjoying the game more and more as the day went on. It just made him feel more confident that they made the correct decision last night.

Especially since he still had Andrew by his side.

Neil was beginning to think that was all he really wanted. It painfully reminded him that in a little more than ten days, they would be off the island and back to their separate lives. The thought alone made Neil feel lonelier than he had when he first arrived on the island.

He tried not to dwell on it while he was finally enjoying himself.

Later Neil, Andrew, Nicky, and Jeremy went swimming. Jeremy even managed to catch a few fish for them to eat. 

At this point, everyone was up and moving around camp. It felt like they were just on vacation together instead of playing Survivor. In his gut, Neil knew he should be paranoid.

Neil knows that being comfortable means he is getting complacent with the game. He tries to figure out where caution ends and paranoia begins. 

He ran through everyone who was left in the game.

Andrew was on his side more so now than ever. Neil didn’t even have to think about if he had Andrew’s trust or not. If he was anyone else, Neil would question if their kiss was trying to mess with him, but it was Andrew. They were solid. 

Nicky and Neil had been allies almost as long as he had been with Andrew. Nicky likely wasn’t a threat to Neil, but he could have more alliances and leak their plans.

Jeremy was basically friends with everyone. Neil didn’t know if he could ever fully trust Jeremy for that reason, but for now, his close friendship with Nicky was reassuring.

Matt and Neil had an ongoing alliance as well. Matt seemed more trustworthy as time went on. He was surprised to find himself already in this place with Matt. Perhaps working with Andrew had opened Neil to the idea of allowing others to help him.

Dan had been friendly with him since they first met. Although he was closer with Matt, her loyalty to him meant Neil didn’t need to worry. She had been very clear about wanting to work with him.

Renee was the true wild card. Ever since Allison left, she hadn’t been the same. She had drifted from her friends and seemed to be playing by herself at this point. Neil would’ve felt the same if Kevin had tried to vote out Andrew. It was so unpredictable who Renee would target that Neil felt she should be the next to go. 

It was too early to officially decide, but Neil was trying to plan six steps ahead of his opponents. Always making a back up plan for his back up plan.

Soon they were called for their reward challenge. The winner would earn a BBQ dinner and pick two friends to come along. 

They had to balance on a platform in the ocean. The last to remain on their block would win. Neil thought he had a decent chance of winning, but when he climbed onto the platform, it proved to be more difficult. 

The waves were constantly knocking into his platform and balancing was difficult. It didn’t take long for Matt to lose his balance and topple over. He was quickly followed by Nicky. Everyone else was falling fast until it was down to Renee, and Jeremy. They made it through 20 minutes before Renee finally slipped off.

Jeremy cheered and credited his victory to all of his time surfing. Unsurprisingly, he selected Nicky to go along with him for one of the invites. What truly interested Neil was that he also selected Renee.

He had only witnessed the two of them speaking a few times. They seemed to have no previous connection, but perhaps, he wanted to try and work with another Hero player on the outs.

Whatever the reason, the selection made Neil uneasy.

He would just have to trust Nicky’s loyalty. He would likely indicate what happened at their reward dinner either way. 

The rest of the players went back to camp and cooked up some rice. Matt collected some mangos he found in a nearby tree and added that to their meal. They all talked about what it would be like when they were home again.

Not for the first time, Neil realized how much he would miss this group of people. They all seemed so excited to return to their families and homes, but Neil felt left out of the chatter. Even Andrew added that he looked forward to driving his Maserati when he got back. 

At best, Neil hoped they would stay in contact and let him visit occasionally. 

Either way, he would be fine.

He pushed these thoughts aside and tried to plan what the next challenge might hold.

The players all had to run through a series of obstacles and collect puzzle pieces on the way. At the end, they would have to spell out a word to win immunity.

Neil had a decent chance of winning this one. Part of his mind wondered if he should be more worried about winning immunity. 

In the end, maybe that doubt served him well. He raced through the end and spelled out “Perspective” in order to win the challenge. 

It felt good to have immunity and win again. Kevin wouldn’t even be around to berate him for this one. He also wasn’t giving much of his skills away as his speed gave him a huge advantage.

In the end, everyone seemed happy for him. Maybe it wasn’t entirely genuine, but at least no one would be voting for him later. One less thing. Now he just had to focus on keeping Andrew as well as ideally Matt and Nicky safe too. 

It didn’t take long for the camp to split up and discuss who was on the chopping block. Realistically, it should be Jeremy or Renee as the next vote as they had the fewest connections, but it was never that simple.

Everyone seemed to be scrambling for votes though. Matt and Jeremy were talking to everyone. Dan talked with Neil and Nicky. Renee had only approached Andrew aside from Nicky and Jeremy, but Neil trusted Andrew to tell him if it was important. 

Neil only had a moment alone with Andrew during all of this chaos. It had been their first sense their intense kiss the other night. He wanted to talk about things aside from Survivor, but they just had enough time to make a plan.

Something in Neil told him tonight wasn’t going in his favor. 

They left for tribal council and the walk over felt somber compared to their earlier moods. The jury was already there when they arrived and they took their seats.

Wymack welcomed them and directed his first question towards Renee. “So Renee, now that fewer people are left in the game, how important is it to stick with your allies?”

Neil watches as Renee considered for a moment. Her expression was void of any emotion before continuing with, “Well, it’s like anything else with this game. Sometimes you can’t stick with relationships that aren’t working out anymore.”

Suddenly, Neil felt his stomach drop. Even though Renee hadn’t been voting with him, this was her drawing the battle lines. She may have shouted out saying I’m done with you all by that statement. 

Wymack pressed on, “I thought you had a solid alliance though?”

“After Allison was voted out, I had to re-evaluate some things.”

Neil glanced over at Allison and she watched them intently. He wished he knew what he was thinking. He thought Renee was an idiot for announcing her intentions like this.

Wymack moved on and directed this question towards Andrew, “So Andrew, what’s your voting criteria moving in to tonight?”

“My goal is to take out people I view as threats.” The plan for tonight was to vote out Jeremy, but Neil wasn’t sure if it would work.

Realizing that was all he was going to say, Wymack moved on. “If everyone’s ready, let’s vote.”

Suddenly, Renee stood. “Actually, I’m going to go and use my ‘steal a vote’ advantage.”

Wymack explained to the group that Renee would take the vote of another player and vote twice while they would have no vote at all. It was a huge advantage that could turn a close vote over.

“Okay, whose vote are you taking?”

“I will take Andrew’s.”

Neil was dreading the outcome for tonight. He was thankful to have immunity, but he was suddenly worried for Andrew. Were they planning to target him now?

Neil went in and wrote down his vote. He was so nervous about what all of the others were planning.

He returned to his seat and waited for everyone else to go.

Wymack read out the votes slowly. “One vote Jeremy. One vote Matt.” 

“Two votes Jeremy. Two votes Matt.”

“Three votes Jeremy. Three votes Matt.”

“The next person voted out of Survivor is Matt. I’m sorry, but grab your torch. The tribe has spoken.”

Neil was shocked. This meant Nicky had gone against them, which wasn’t a huge surprise given his new friendship with Jeremy. It was now down to Neil, Andrew, and Dan for his allies. 

The game was suddenly chaotic. No one had the upper hand anymore. Neil didn’t know what to think anymore after that. 

Suddenly, he felt sick. He wouldn't panic though because he still had Andrew. 

When they got back, Andrew and Neil finally had a private moment to talk.

“Did you know she was going to do that?”

Neil believed Andrew was going to tell him anything important as his closest ally, but had Andrew been playing him the whole time? Neil trusted Andrew completely, but he still craved confirmation from him. 

Andrew crossed his arms as if he was annoyed Neil would even ask. 

“She told me her plan earlier. I told her I wasn’t voting Matt out. I thought that was it.” 

Relief spread through Neil. He couldn’t take losing his two closest people in one night.

He felt Andrew squeeze his hand. He was just thankful he still had Andrew watching his back. It hurt to have Matt leave, but he felt grounded knowing he still had someone by his side. Neil would miss Matt, but Andrew kept him steady.


	7. Chapter 7

The last few days were entirely different than today. Today felt tense while Matt’s presence had made everything fun and friendly. The atmosphere was significantly different now that he had been voted out.

Neil comforted Dan as she adjusted to life in the tribe without her closest ally. She felt incredibly alone as she had voted out Allison, had Renee flip on her, and Matt get eliminated. Neil knew she was securely on her side now.

Dan only spoke of revenge for the next vote.

It was dangerous to forget the strategy of the game in exchange for revenge. That could be a huge mistake for him and Dan.

Ultimately, Neil knew he needed Andrew’s clear mind to think things through. Neil felt the two of them could make it to the end if they kept it together.

They headed to the reward challenge in silence. Battle lines had definitely been drawn after voting Matt out. Now things were cut throat.

Even more so as Wymack explained they were playing for the reward of love. The love would come in the form of letters from their family and friends from back home. 

Neil found himself not even caring as he wouldn’t have any. He had no family left except for his uncle that he didn’t speak to. After growing up in an abusive household, he distanced himself from everyone else. 

In fact, he only came on the show because he was convinced his ability to be alone would help him win.

They divided into two teams - Andrew, Renee, and Nicky on one. Dan, Neil, and Jeremy on the other. All they had to do was retrieve three keys through an obstacle course and solve a puzzle with their season’s logo on it. It should be simple.

Neil’s team found themselves in the lead early on. One member had to swim to get the first key and Jeremy was the fastest in the group. Then, he ran to collect the second one. Finally, Dan solved the puzzle. Immediately, they shouted at Wymack to check for their win.

As he announced them the winners, they all hugged in excitement. Dan and Jeremy seemed on the verge of tears, but Neil didn’t know how to feel. He wished he had asked to sit out so someone else could be receiving their family’s letters now.

He collected the envelope knowing it was empty. He tried to hide any feelings of disappointment. 

It was nice he had won, but this was another reminder of the bleak life he had been living. 

Weeks ago, Nicky had told Neil he could love Survivor all he wanted, but it wouldn’t love him back. Deep down, he knew Nicky had been correct; however, Neil wasn’t sure how to explain why no one could love him.

He doubted anyone except for Andrew would be able to overlook his past. 

When they got back to camp, Dan and Jeremy went to find a private area to read their letters. Neil walked away from them to sit by himself on the beach. He hadn’t even bothered to check his envelope for a surprise from someone back home. He had no one.

This heavy alone feeling was starting to overwhelm him. 

He covered his hands with his face and tried to relax. He listened to the waves for a while before someone finally joined him.

He was relieved when it was Andrew. 

Andrew glanced at the envelope before plopping down besides Neil.

“Aren’t you going to open it?”

Neil shook his head slightly, “What’s the point? It’s empty.”

He watched understanding flash across Andrew’s face before returning to its seemingly perpetual stoic appearance. 

It was quiet between them for a while and Neil felt comfort just by his presence.

“What are we going to do, Andrew?”

Andrew pulled him from his thoughts by flicking some sand at him. Neil became acutely aware that they were alone. 

Their eyes met and Neil shifted closer to Andrew. He made sure there was space between them and moved his hands behind him. He was content to let his friend make the first move. 

Andrew looked at him and tilted his head forward as if asking  _ yes or no? _ silently. Neil just nodded. Gently, Andrew pushed Neil down and began to kiss him.

It was as electric as it had been the first time. Pure adrenaline coursed through Neil and he just wanted more of this. He was quickly becoming addicted to Andrew’s presence. 

It only lasted for a little while. They were still on the beach and didn’t have much privacy. The pair remained sitting side by side on the beach just relaxing.

He just hoped by some small chance that Andrew would want to continue this when it was all over. Even though they were in this place for a competition and stripped of common things in their daily lives, Neil felt home. 

The thought of returning home along frightened him more than staying with Andrew. At home, he had nothing. 

He knew they would have to talk about it later, but for now he just wanted to enjoy everything.

For the first time in years, Neil let himself dream of a future that he didn’t have to spend alone. 

  
  



	8. Chapter 8

They headed into tribal council that night with Dan safe from being voted out. She had won a tough individual immunity challenge earlier, but Neil knew she needed it. With Matt out, she now needed to prove to herself that she deserved to be here. It was a comfort too knowing whoever voted for Matt couldn’t come for her next.

Neil felt nervous that afternoon on the beach. He talked to Dan, Nicky, and Jeremy trying to make arrangements. Everyone had their own plans and Neil was struggling to align anyone with what he wanted.

Eventually, Andrew came back to him and explained that they had to vote out Nicky.

He was shocked primarily to hear Andrew wanted his cousin out after how loyal he had played the entire game. This was also one of the few times Andrew formed the plan. Neil was willing to go along with it. He trusted Andrew entirely.

Andrew had simply promised this would work out and keep them from being voted out. Neil thought it was a good move too as Nicky now had many friends on the jury.

They got Dan on board, which was easily since it would be revenge for Matt.

Tribal council began with all of the Jury members entering. 

Dan immediately searched for Matt. She sent him a small wave when he sat down. Neil could only guess how that would feel and was thankful Andrew wasn’t sitting over there.

Once everyone was settled, Wymack kicked off the questions. 

“So Neil, only a few days left. How are you feeling as we approach day 39?”

“I’m fine.” He knew Andrew had probably rolled his eyes at that so he tried to add something else on. “It helps having strong alliances remaining. I’ve just been taking everything day by day.”

Wymack nodded in response before moving on. “Dan, how does it feel to have a close member of your alliance gone? It must be tough this late in the game.”

She straightened up at that. “It sucks that Matt isn’t with us anymore, but I still have options. I’ve been open to working with new people in the past. It’s not over for me yet.”

He nodded, “Yes, it must feel great to win individual immunity after that. That's one of the great parts of Survivor is that you can just keep fighting. Jeremy, how’s everything been back at camp?”

As predicted, Jeremy gave one of the most positive responses. “You know, it always stinks when someone has to leave. I think everyone here is a pretty good threat, but I’m happy that I’ve gotten to know all of them. We’re a strong group.”

At that, Wymack signaled that it was time to vote. 

Neil was still paranoid, but when it came time, he wrote “Nicky” across the slip.

There was nothing he could do now, so he just waited in anticipation. 

“Alright time to count the votes. First vote, Neil.”

He couldn’t help but stiffen. It was never comfortable having votes aimed at him.

“One vote, Nicky.” It didn’t inspire much confidence in Neil since he recognized his handwriting.

“Second vote Neil.”

“Second vote Nicky. All tied at two.”

“Third vote Nicky.” Neil glanced and Nicky looked panicked. He wondered if Nicky had planned for Neil to go home, but instead was dangerously close to being out.

“Next person voted out of Survivor - Nicky. I’m sorry, but the tribe has spoken.”

He took the loss with grace. As he stood, he turned to the group. “I’ll miss you guys. It’s been fun being with you all.”

Neil was still surprised by the vote. If Andrew, Dan, and Neil voted for him, did that mean Renee was the fourth? He couldn’t see Jeremy voting his closest ally out.

Even if she had voted with him, Renee had to go. Neil simply didn’t trust her and it was difficult to guess her voting. On top of that, she and Andrew had some sort of connection now. Neil hadn’t witnessed them interact much, but they had non verbal signals just like how Neil did with Andrew.

On the flip side, Neil contemplated if Jeremy would be better to vote out next. He had more friends on the Jury than Renee. 

Everyone was a threat at this point. 

No one even talked when they got back to their camp. The game was exhausting for everyone. They were so close to the end, but he needed the night before talking anymore strategy. 

It made him grateful that they had voted out Kevin as he would’ve stayed up all night trying to plan. 

He instead made himself comfortable and fell asleep at Andrew’s side.

________________________________________________

The next day, Andrew woke up around the same time as Neil, but everyone else was still passed out. The two of them stayed quiet for a while and just watched the sun continue to rise. 

Eventually, they got up to make a breakfast of rice and coconut. Everyone needed a little energy boost heading into today’s reward challenge.

Wymack described the reward challenge, which sounded essentially like a knife throwing competition to Neil. The winner would earn Chinese take out and be able to invite two friends along. 

Even just thinking of knife throwing made Neil want to freeze. 

Maybe it was the paranoia. Maybe it was the exhaustion of the game. All Neil could picture was his dad coming at him with those knives. 

He felt jittery, nauseous, and clammy. He tried to shake it off as his turn approached. He felt Andrew watching him with curiosity but said nothing.

When he went to pick the first one up, he almost dropped it. He felt like the knife was burning him. 

This was ridiculous. 

Neil berated himself for showing any weakness to the others.

His first throw was completely off mark. After attempting to calm down, he tried again. This time he only managed to stick it on the outermost circle of a target. He went to reach for his third knife while subtly checking that all of his scars were still covered. He could feel the deep scar along his hip begin to itch as he reached for the last knife. 

Feeling incredibly dizzy, his last throw went wide again. He didn’t even care about the food at this point he just needed to look away.

He wasn’t sure what it was about today, but these knives set him off. Which is ridiculous considering they’d been using a hatchet and machete since the first day. 

Still out of it, he missed Renee narrowly beating Andrew out for the reward. He only realized it had happened when he heard her say, “I’ll take Andrew and Neil with me.”

Confused, Neil didn’t say anything. Jeremy didn’t look upset about it, which just added to Neil’s paranoia. 

At the smell of the Chinese take out, Neil perked up. By the time he finally tuned in, he was shocked to hear Andrew and Renee discussing zombie apocalypse survival tips.

“What about healers? They could be useful for other injuries for other survivors.” Renee was making a strong argument to collect as many people as possible, but Andrew disagreed. 

“They would just want to help the infected. We need to take fewer people and focus on collecting resources.”

They seemed content to argue back and forth without input from Neil so he just ate quietly. He still didn’t trust Renee, so he didn’t want anything he said to be used against him. 

After a while, the conversation shifted towards the game. Renee’s expression changed as she zeroed in on Neil.

“So I’m sure you’re curious why you’re here Neil. Right after Allison got voted out, I talked to Andrew for the first time. We seemed to have a lot in common and decided to work together.”

Neil looked at Andrew, who unsurprisingly looked bored as he shrugged.

Renee continued, “We hid it from everyone to keep the advantage. I’ve been working every vote trying to help control it. Now that we’re getting close to the end of the game, I want to make a pact with you both. Me, you, and Dan have to get Jeremy out next.”

Neil was instantly confused. She had voted out her own allies, so why was she willing to help him and Andrew?

“But we voted out Allison. You voted out your friends. Why would you help us?”

Renee glanced at Andrew. “Andrew and I made a deal. He knew I was upset about the Allison vote because we’re together. She was pissed at Dan and Matt over Seth, but not for the reasons they thought. We agreed to work together and would each pick a remaining player so the four of us could make it to the final four.”

Neil was shocked. Was she saying Andrew wanted him? Was this part of his and Andrew’s deal or something else? He knew Andrew’s answer wouldn’t come for free.

“But still why vote out Matt when you did?”

Andrew was still silent. He had moved on to eating one of the fortune cookies.

“Listen Neil, I know you don’t trust me. I voted him out because we would’ve had no chance of winning with him next to us. The three of us all have a chance. I love Matt, but he’s so athletic and friendly he would easily be the winner. Please trust I’ve been watching out for you. We voted Nicky out last night to keep you here.”

Neil tried to absorb this information. Regardless of his alliances, Andrew had always had his back. As a result, Renee was protecting him too. 

Even if he was wary of Renee, he would trust her if Andrew did.

“Okay, I’m in. So we just have to keep Jeremy from winning immunity and then he goes.”

They both nodded. 

They made a toast to the final four with their drinks. Neil felt himself relax again. 

When they got back, they parted ways. Renee went off to pull Dan aside and tell her the plan. Jeremy sat by himself. If he was nervous about not having any more close allies, he didn’t show it.

Finally, they were called out for the immunity challenge. This was where Neil’s main concern was. If Jeremy won, who would they vote out?

Andrew and Renee were obviously close, but Neil knew he and Andrew were closer. Still, Andrew didn’t like to break his word and Neil had already made him do that several times. At this point, Andrew had definitely upheld his end of their bargain. 

Luckily, the challenge was sprinting back and forth between platforms and building a puzzle with six huts. Neil felt he had a decent chance to win. If he didn’t, he hoped any of his alliance members won. 

They started the challenge and Neil raced ahead. He knew he was quicker than the remaining players and just needed to maintain his speed. 

Renee had caught up to him a little as they reached the final bag of puzzle pieces. They began setting them up. Andrew, Dan, and Jeremy were right behind them.

Neil was racing to build each puzzle piece. Wymack began narrating who was doing what and Neil tuned him out. 

He was on his last one when he hears, “Renee thinks she’s got it! And she does! Renee wins immunity.”

Something that would’ve scared Neil yesterday made him want to cheer in excitement today. He felt the excitement seep through him as he felt the final four was in his grasp.


	9. Chapter 9

Back on their beach it was awkward and silent for the rest of the day. No one seemed willing to talk. Everyone knew what the plan was going into tonight’s vote.

Jeremy could probably sense the vote was coming in his direction for tonight. They all sat around the fire pit and talked about their home lives. Neil felt awkward not having much to say, but Andrew didn’t either. He was content to let Dan, Jeremy, and Renee make polite conversation.

He glanced to his left and saw Andrew watching him. It brought a spark of hope to Neil that Andrew might be thinking the same thing as him. 

They walked to tribal next to each other the whole way.

Everyone sat when they got there and waited for the jury to arrive. It didn’t take long for everyone to get comfortable and Wymack to start questioning them.

“So Neil, you have to be getting anxious so close to the end. How do you keep a cool head?”

“It’s just really important to know who you can trust.” 

Wymack leaned forward in his seat, “So you and Andrew are the last two from the Monster’s alliance. How do you know he’s not trying to switch on you?”

“It’s Andrew. He promised and I believe him.” Neil wanted to get defensive, but now wasn’t the time. No one needed to know how deep their bond went. Even Andrew might not admit it yet. This game was seriously messing with everyone’s level of trust, but somehow Neil knew he didn’t have to worry about Andrew.

“Interesting. In a game for a million dollars you’d put that much trust in an early alliance?”

Neil was almost offended by the question. “Absolutely.”

Wymack looked pleased before turning his questions to someone else.

“Jeremy, you’ve gotta be nervous. You’re friendly with everyone but still kind of on the outside.”

“I’ve done my best. Maybe if things had gone differently at the Merge. I could be talking about Jean the way Neil talks about Andrew.”

Neil was surprised to learn this. He didn’t realize they had bonded so much in those few days. He was glad they had voted out Jean and would be voting out Jeremy to get rid of that bias from the jury.

Wymack announced it was time to vote.

Neil went first and wrong “JEREMY” in all capital letters. He hoped their plan worked. Neil returned to the group and waited for everyone to vote. Finally, Wymack went to count the votes and came back.

“Alright. After this, it will be down to four. Let’s get started.”

Wymack opened the jar of votes. “First vote - Jeremy.”

“First vote - Neil.” Neil felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at Andrew and was reminded Jeremy would get at least two of the five votes.

“Second vote - Jeremy.” Neil felt relieved. He thought he recognized Renee’s handwriting on that card, which meant he was likely safe.

“Next person voted out of survivor - Jeremy. I’m sorry, but the tribe has spoken.”

Neil watched Jeremy pack up his stuff and head over to the jury members. Jean embraced him in a hug.

He watched them for a moment before turning and catching Andrew looking at him. He tried to show a curious expression, but Andrew shook his head. 

Neil absently gave Jeremy credit. He never would’ve made it this far without Andrew. He sent out a silent thank you to everyone for keeping Andrew in the game with him.

_______________________________

Back on the beach that night, Andrew and Neil were still up talking while the girls had gone to sleep. They were playing their truth telling game and Neil was delighted to learn so much about Andrew. They had been living on the island for over a month but Neil was still learning new things.

Neil now knew Andrew’s favorite color (navy blue), his favorite food (ice cream), and the name of his cat (Sir Fat Cat McCatterson, named by Nicky). 

Andrew glanced behind them at Dan and Renee who were now asleep. He slid closer to Neil and in barely a whisper, “What happened to you during the reward challenge?”  
Neil wasn’t sure how to answer. Andrew already knew a great deal about his past, so it wasn’t like he needed to keep his feelings a secret.

Quietly he said, “I felt like my scars were burning. Like my dad was right there with me. I just felt like I was suffocating.”

Just thinking about it made Neil feel small and insignificant.

Suddenly, Andrew placed a hand on the back on Neil’s neck. It seemed to ground him. Maybe that was just the feeling of Andrew staying with him.

“I won’t let them touch you ever again. Make a new deal with me”

Surprised Neil asked him, “The game is almost over, what do I still have to offer?”

“Just stay with me. I’ll watch your back. No more running.”

Neil burned with desire. He could see that future of the two of them together. 

In a game that breeds mistrust, Neil had found stability and safety with Andrew. 

“You don’t need to make a deal with me for me to stay with you.”

Neil wanted Andrew to know this was his choice. He wanted Andrew and it was that simple. He didn’t need or want any favors so long as he had Andrew by his side.

Neil leaned in after that and Andrew kissed him until they both grew tired. They fell asleep wrapped together.


	10. Chapter 10

Final four.

This is when things got a little different. Instead of a regular tribal council, the winner of the immunity challenge picks someone to enter the final three with him. 

Then, the remaining two will engage in a fire making challenge. Whoever can build a fire the fastest and burn the rope would join the other two as finalists. 

Today was day 38. They would be forgoing a reward challenge to prepare for their final individual immunity. It would be a mentally grueling challenge to see who could outlast the others. 

Wymack explained that the four of them would be dropping a ball down a machine that had two paths. Using only one hand, they had to catch the ball and return it to the machine. At random intervals they would have to add an additional ball. They had to keep track of where each ball would exit as well as space the timing out. The challenge would continue until there was one person left.

Minutes into the beginning, Neil could tell this would be more challenging than he thought. He heard Dan grunt in frustration, but he couldn’t look over at her. Wymack announced she was out so she must’ve made a mistake. 

They added another ball moments later to get them up to four.

Neil focused on the task, but he got distracted when he heard a ball hit the ground. He looked over at Renee and saw she had missed one. Too late, Neil looked back at his station and realized he had seconds to catch his next ball. In a clumsy catch, he managed to save it; however, his timing was off now and he had to speed up. 

He could feel his rhythm was off. It made him sloppy and rushed.

It would cost him.

Finally, he missed a ball and tried to ignore his impulse to throw it at the ground. 

At least Andrew had won. Andrew was the only one Neil would lose to at this point. 

If Andrew wanted to, he could ensure that Neil made the finals with him. Andrew had the power of making Neil come to the final three while selecting who would go to the fire making challenge.

The fire making challenge consisted of the other two racing to build a fire that would burn a rope and raise their flag. 

Neil knew he could make fire, eventually. But he just really hoped Andrew picked him.

His choice would’ve been Andrew, but he didn’t earn the honor of making this decision.

When they returned to the beach, Andrew wanted them to each come and pitch why they should come with him to the finals.

He let the others go first. 

If he was being honest with himself, Andrew had no reason to bring him along. He had voted out all of their closest allies both directly and indirectly. He wasn’t even fully convinced Andrew had stopped hating him despite their kisses and talk of sticking together after the show ended. Andrew’s game was worse because of Neil. He had done nothing but test Andrew’s loyalty. 

It would be smart to bring Renee or Dan along instead too since he and Neil had the same allies.

No matter his decision, Neil would respect it. It was Andrew’s choice.

He told him as much when it was his turn.

Neil had walked up to Andrew and didn’t even bother to plead his case. “I know you’ve been loyal to me since the start, but you’re not obligated to bring me along. It’s your choice and I will respect it either way. I won’t pressure you or take it away from you.”

Andrew looked up to meet him. They made eye contact and Neil took a seat next to Andrew.

“It’s exactly for that reason that reason that I’m taking you with me.”

Neil was instantly relieved. Andrew was exactly who Neil thought. 

They joked about how Renee would beat them all anyways if she was with them at the end. Dan and Renee would face off tonight and they took bets on who would win.

Neil honestly couldn’t bring himself to care. Knowing Andrew had his back was better than any prize money for winning.

His competitive spirit made him want to do well at the final tribal council, but his feelings for Andrew overshadowed everything. Andrew had proved it over and over again, and this was such a novel feeling for Neil. 

They enjoyed the rest of the afternoon trying to cook up dinner. The four of them managed to catch a few fish and cook the rest of their rice. 

Eventually, it was time to head off. Tonight they would see the firemaking challenge and tomorrow they would talk to the jury.

When they arrived, everyone was there already. Wymack had even set up two fire making stations for the face off. 

Andrew announced that Dan and Renee would be making fire and they took their spots at the stations. Wymack explained that the first to make a fire that would burn through the rope wins. They would move on to the final three at that point. 

They began and each took different approaches. 

Renee was taking the time to build a structure while Dan was going right for a spark. Renee was making a small pile of logs while Dan aggressively struck against her flint.

Suddenly, Dan had a spark. 

Neil watched her blow on it, but it went out. Dan quickly pulled out the knife again and struck, catching a flame for a second time. 

Renee meanwhile was finally starting to try for a spark. Nothing had caught on Renee’s pile yet.

Dan was starting to add a structure to her fire to build it. 

Renee still had nothing as Dan’s burned brighter and higher. The next thing Neil knew, Dan’s fire had cut through the rope, crowning her the victor.

Matt let out a huge cheer for Dan as Renee and Dan hugged.

Renee gracefully headed over to the Jury and immediately to Allison. Renee at least looked pleased to be reunited with her. 

Wymack waited until they were all settled, “Congratulations Dan on a great victory. You will be joining Neil and Andrew on day 39 to present your case to the jury for why you should win the million dollar prize.”


	11. Chapter 11

That morning the three of them lounged around. Someone from production had left them a huge spread of breakfast. It included eggs, bacon, fruit, and champagne. 

Immediately, Dan and Andrew popped the champagne open while Neil went for the fruit. He was happy to let the two of them just split the bottle.

They took turns cooking the breakfast and tried not to over eat going into the Final Tribal Council. The last thing any of them wanted was to be sick while trying to plead their case for why they should be the Sole Survivor.

They each split up to visit their favorite spots on the island one more time.

Neil was sitting up on a rock that overlooked the water when he finally heard footsteps behind him. 

He already knew it was Andrew without even turning around. He had gotten so used to having Andrew by his side these last 39 days. How was he supposed to go back to normal life?

Neil motioned for Andrew to sit down. “Are you ready for tonight?” 

The blonde rolled his eyes. “Like I need to prepare to talk to them.”

“Well you might want to. That million dollars could be your second Masterati.”

He shrugged in response. 

Neil was curious what everyone else would’ve done with the million dollar prize. He was more interested in having the title “Sole Survivor”. After all, that’s what he had been his whole life. 

First, when his father came for him. Then as a runaway. And now, in the aftermath of a traumatic childhood.

He had to give credit to many of the others. From their time together, Andrew was obviously a survivor. Aaron, Nicky, and Kevin too. That’s another reason they had all stuck together so early on. 

The others certainly overcame other struggles. Neil had seen Matt’s track marks enough to know his history. Dan had only mentioned money struggles a few times. Even Renee just seemed to have something about her that Neil could recognize as triumph over past struggle. 

Neil put his head on Andrew’s shoulder and they sat in silence until it was time to leave.

He still wasn’t sure what to say to the Jury later. He had made friendships, yes. He had won challenges, yes. He had outlasted others in their alliances and opposing him, yes. But he had to cut his allies out along the way. Aaron and Kevin were still likely very bitter over everything. He hoped Allison wouldn’t be too mad at him. He wasn’t sure how a lot of them would react.

Wymack welcomed them all. “Dan, Neil, and Andrew, congratulations on making it to the final three. I will each give you a chance to make your opening statements for why you should be the Sole Survivor and then the jury will speak. Dan, you go first.”

Dan stood and brushed off her clothes. “I came into this game classified as a Hero and I’m proud of the way I’ve played. I played with strong loyalty. I was a tough competitor in every challenge and participated in helping at camp. I’ve outlasted all the other women and the rest of my original alliance. I feel like I’ve survived this game.”

She took her seat and Neil was up next. “The word survivor has defined my life for as long as I can remember. Like many of you, this isn’t the only time I’ve known struggle. In this game, I thought I would thrive in the individual aspect, but I adapted. I made alliances and trusted others. I outwitted people who wanted me out or disagreed with me. I started this game alone, but I’m thankful that this game forced me to change who I am.”

Finally, it was Andrew’s turn. Neil was interested to see what Andrew would say. He didn’t talk to the others a lot, but they all seemed to respect him. 

“I came into this game to protect my family. I made deals and stayed true this entire game. If you think that’s playing like a villain then that’s fine. I put others before me and still made it to day 39.”

The jury clapped for them all before Jeremy stood up. “We just wanted to say congratulations again for doing what we couldn’t. Most of us are undecided for who to vote for, so we’d like to kick tonight off by talking about your outwit strategy.”

After he sat down, Jean stood.  “So Neil, we witnessed you vote with different groups a lot. Tell us how you outwitted us.”

“Well, I started off by joining up with the Monsters alliance. We had a block vote in our tribe that helped us reach the Merge. Once in the Merge, Matt and I formed another close bond, which helped with some key voting factors. We had a few votes like the ones on Kevin and Aaron where it was time to cut ties with our allies. Using these new bonds, I got them out of the game and took the target off of me and Andrew.”

Kevin was quick to answer Neil, “How would voting out your allies and a bigger target be a good strategy?”

“Kev, as part of this game, we have to be adaptable. When Aaron and Andrew had tension, I set up a vote to know if Aaron was leaking information out. After we saw he was ready to flip, why would we keep him when I strategically made bonds with another alliance? He’s always had it out for me so I had to take him out first.”

Renee quickly cut off Kevin’s next statement. “I would like to hear from Dan and Andrew.”

Andrew motioned for Dan to go next. “Early on I made many individual alliances. When we reached the merge, I convinced Matt to approach Neil about voting with us since he seemed the least close with the Monsters. After that, I had people watching my back on both sides of the vote.”

Andrew then took his turn. “I was the center of a major alliance. I immediately used my connections with my family and Kevin to form a group. Based on my decision, we protected Neil or else he would’ve been one of the early boots. Once we reached the merge, I formed a secret bond with Renee. Together, we planned on who to vote out. We effectively took our group to the final four.”

Neil was proud of them for all having solid arguments so far. He was nervous they would ask Neil a question to pit him against Andrew. There was no way he would criticize him, but he had to find a way to answer if it came up.

The outwit portion continued as they each mentioned a few key points from early in the game. So far, Andrew and Neil had received the most criticism. However, it was mostly from Kevin, so did that even count?

Wymack called for them to move on to the outplay portion. 

The first question came from Jeremy. He stood and asked, “Dan, can you please share what moment you think highlighted your greatest performance?”

She paused for a moment. “Honestly it’s a toss up. My most crucial move during Survivor was when I won the reward and picked Neil, Renee, and Matt to go. This solidified my alliances with Neil and Renee even more. My relationship with Matt was always solid, but with that reward, I solidified my alliance with the other two. Renee, Andrew, Neil, and I all had a secret final four alliance, so look how that played out as a result.”

Neil didn’t like how Dan had tried to take credit for that. Especially since it had been Andrew and Renee who had come up with the plan. 

Jean stood and asked for Neil to answer the same question. 

“I came into this game preparing to go all out in every challenge, but instead I strategized. You all were aware of my speed, but I didn’t show my skills with the puzzles until post-merge. I focused my earlier energy on making friendships so that by the time I did show off my strength, I was able to keep myself in the game with my relationships. I was targeted before the first vote and made that group my alliance. I made plans with new alliance members to vote out Aaron and Kevin when they were becoming dangerous to my game.”

Kevin went next. “Andrew, I would like to know what was the biggest challenge you feel you overcame in this game.”

Andrew remained emotionless as he looked up at Kevin. “This game is all about building up loyalty and then cutting your allies off when it’s time. When I make deals, I intend to see them through. I’ve never been the one to break them, but with this game, I had to vote out my family on the chance that I could trust strangers. After Allison was voted out, Renee approached me and we just had a bond. From there, we made decisions together about who to vote out. She and I planned to each pick someone to take to the final four. Through my gameplay, I saved Neil through a few votes and we made it here.”

Neil was beginning to realize his game wasn’t as good as he thought. People criticized him as the jury went on for not being loyal. 

Honestly, Neil would be surprised if he got one vote at the end of this. 

Then, they moved on to the final portion of the jury - outlast. This portion was explaining how they made it to the end and outlasted their opponents. The jury was able to ask any questions at this time.

Nicky went first. “Oh I have a question for Andrew! Andrew, I admire your loyalty and strength in this game and back at home. So can you explain why you took Neil to the end with you instead of your cousin or brother?”

Andrew didn’t look at anyone. “Even though we had a strong group at the beginning, Neil was the only one who saw me for who I was. I could trust him all the way until day 39. He’s watched my back and I’ve got his.”

It was the most Neil thought he would hear Andrew ever say anything about him.

Aaron stood next. “Neil, can you please tell us why Andrew deserves to win over you?”

Neil didn’t even have to think about this. “Andrew was casted as a villain, but he played like a hero. He put himself on the line for each of his alliance members. He played with honesty and loyalty. There’s no one I respect more and he’s certainly deserving of the title.”

Neil watched the jury members exchange a look.

Finally, Matt stood. “Neil, I have to ask. Is this thing between you and Andrew real? Or is it just for the game?”

Neil blushed at Matt’s statement. He was embarrassed to announce this in front of everyone, but he did have to remain accountable.

“It’s 100% real to me. I came to him initially for protection, but I’ve been watching his back the whole time. There’s no one I trust more, even now in a game where you inherently distrust people. I won’t speak for Andrew, but I hope to continue what we have after this is all over.”

The mood seemed to shift among the jury members after this.

Aaron seemed even more annoyed if this was possible, but Nicky was smiling brightly. Neil guessed they had all talked about Neil and Andrew’s non-relationship. He hoped that was the right thing to say, but he would not lie about Andrew.

Finally, Wymack sent them up to vote.

When he returned, he informed them he would be revealing who had won during their live finale in 6 months. He had one more announcement that made Neil’s heart sink.

“For all of those who formed friendships and relationships out here, I’m glad this game has bonded you. When you return home, these relationships have to stay a secret. I would advise you to not even visit each other. If anyone is caught publicly communicating, they risk being sued by the network along with any chance of winning. Neil, Andrew, and Dan, this involves you the most so be careful. Can’t wait to see you in a few months.”

And with that, their season of survivor ended.

All that was left was figuring out how he was supposed to survive without Andrew by his side.


	12. Chapter 12

It had been six months since Neil had seen Andrew.

They talked every day, but it wasn’t quite the same. If Neil was being honest, he had a difficult time adjusting back to life without Andrew by his side.

He couldn’t tell just based on Andrew’s responses, but Nicky would always insist Andrew did. 

After watching their season play out on TV every week, it was amazing how much the producers had cut out. They played up the earlier scenes where Andrew wanted Neil out. They made their alliance look begrudging on Andrew’s part.

For whatever reason, their showmance had been completely cut out until the final 6 were left. There were no signs of them having kissed or anything, but they had been mentioned in the interviews of different players. It was also hard to deny when there were always shots of them talking together in the background.

Neil thought it was hilarious that fans had gone from pitting them against each other to “shipping” them. 

He didn’t know what Andrew would want to do when they were finally able to be together. Maybe he had found someone new. Or maybe Andrew was playing him from the start.

He really didn’t think so, but he would find out soon.

He finally arrived at his hotel in LA where he would have a few hours preparing for the live filming of Survivor.  All of the players were staying in the same hotel, but production asked them not to gather until it was time for the finale. 

Neil did his best to pick out an outfit. He went for a simple light blue shirt and khakis. He wasn’t one for dressing but, hopefully it was nice enough. Neil didn’t see how people could care so much when he was in the same ratty clothes during the entire season.

He tried to picture what it would be like sitting next to Andrew for an hour, but every time he did, he felt himself getting nervous.

He came to the realization that while he desperately wanted to be with Andrew again, he wasn’t sure how Andrew would feel.

They wouldn’t even have time until this was all over to talk.

Finally, it was time. Neil headed to the lobby first where they would bus them over to the live finale show.

He was one of the first to arrive and not even five seconds later was hugged by both Dan and Matt. They laughed and told Neil he was just as tiny as he was on day 39. 

It gave him hope he and Andrew would be the same when they were finally together. 

They bombarded Neil with questions about how he had been and what he’d been up to and when they could hang out now that they were all allowed to. 

Neil could barely answer because at that moment, he found Andrew. He had just walked in behind Nicky, Kevin, and Aaron, but there he was. 

His memories of Andrew paled in comparison to seeing him again. Neil instantly felt calm and grounded when seconds ago he had been anxious. Something in him wanted to run over to Andrew but he held back. 

Andrew probably wouldn’t want that.

The producer called them over moments later and made them arrange in order of who was voted out. Neil realized this meant he would be sitting with Andrew and Dan for the entire show. 

Which wasn’t a bad thing, but it would kill him to sit there and not talk to Andrew until it was over.

As soon as they were arranged in their seats, Neil felt something tug on his sleeve. He glanced over and made eye contact with Andrew for the first time in months.

They were as sharp and beautiful as he remembered. Neil watched as Andrew searched his face.

Finally, Andrew whispered, “Talk after?”

Neil nodded. It was all he could hope for. 

Once the finale began, Neil switched his attention from watching the screen to watching Andrew’s expression. While it barely shifted, he enjoyed still being able to tell what Andrew was thinking. 

Andrew only gave him a dirty look once which Neil took to meaning  _ stop staring _ . 

He did his best to but his attention did wander back over to Andrew.

Finally, the jury speeches came. When the question came that asked Neil why Andrew should win over him, Andrew reached over and squeezed his hand. Neil looked over in surprise, but Andrew had already turned away.

Even though he couldn’t show it at the time, maybe this was Andrew’s way of appreciating it. Acknowledgement that Neil saw him for who he was.

Finally, it was time to read the votes. This time it would be for who was crowned the Sole Survivor. 

Wymack stood, opened the jar, and began. 

“One vote - Andrew.”

“One vote - Neil.”

“Dan - one vote. So far all tied up.” Neil was surprised he even had one vote so far. He knew both of the others deserved it.

“Two votes- Andrew.”

Wymack slowly opened the next vote. “Two votes - Neil”

Neil glanced over to Andrew, who was sitting just staring at Wymack.

“Third vote - Andrew.”

“Third vote - Neil.”

Tied again. At this point, it was clearly between just him and Andrew.

He didn’t care who won out of the two of them. Andrew deserved it.

“Four votes - Neil.” At that, his attention snapped up to Wymack. Did this mean he had the most?

“The winner of this season the Sole Survivor, Neil Josten.”

Everyone burst into clapping and cheers. He felt drowned out by the noise. He didn’t have any family to greet him in the crowd, but Dan hugged him. He looked over to Anderw and who had nodded at him, as if already giving him permission for a hug. 

Soon they were joined by everyone, who were all celebrating. 

He couldn’t believe it.

It still didn’t feel real to him the entire reunion show. 

The rest of the night, Andrew didn’t leave Neil’s side which gave him even more hope that he still wanted this thing between them. 

They finally went back to the hotel rooms.

Neil walked towards his and trusted Andrew would follow. When they reached the door, Neil pulled out his key, opened it, and motioned for Andrew to enter.

Neither of them were much for small talk. Andrew opened the hotel mini-fridge and pulled out one of the drinks production had stocked it with. 

Neil waited for Andrew to talk. As much as he wanted this, he wanted to let Andrew guide their conversation.

Andrew took a sip of his beer and looked at Neil. He placed the can down before speaking, “I forgot how annoying Nicky and Aaron are when you’re not around.”

Neil thought it was as close to  _ I missed you _ as he would get from Andrew.

He gave Andrew a pointed look, “Well, there is something we can do about that now.”

He took a step towards Neil and reached for his hand before stopping halfway. “Do you still want this?”

Neil challenged him, “So it’s a  _ this _ now?”

Andrew rolled his eyes in response. Neil followed up with, “Of course I do.”

He watched Andrew close the gap between their hands.

“Yes or no?”

“Yes. To everything Andrew.”

It was a yes to their next kiss, to their new relationship, and to finally being allowed to be together. 

This was better than winning a million dollars. 


End file.
